This car shows just how far apart the US and European interpretations of ‘sporting’ are at the moment

A touch over 5m long, the Ford Taurus has unusual proportions in the flesh. From a distance the car looks like a normal large saloon. Close up, the height of the car’s belt line and rear deck becomes apparent. And the boot is huge, especially in height. The front seats are also positioned rather higher than normal.

The odd proportioning of the car is rumoured to be rooted in the Side Impact Protection tube which runs between the B-pillars. In the Volvos based on this platform, the tube runs through the front seat frame. In the Ford, the seat frames on positioned on top of the tube, raising the seat height and causing the whole upper body to be re-proportioned to take this into account.

This SHO version is the ‘performance variant’, powered by Ford’s effective 3.5-litre V6 Ecoboost engine, driving all four wheels through a six-speed automatic ’box.

Not great. Although the engine is quite smooth and pretty perky (despite having to drive all this weight), the rest of the car cannot live up to the engine. Our test car was also fitted with the ‘Performance Package’ which adds 20in wheels, stiffer damping, stiffer rear springs a lower final-drive ratio and tweaked electrically-assisted steering.

On the broken concrete road surfaces of Sunset Boulevard, the Taurus SHO thumped and banged its way along, only getting a grip, so to speak, when the road surfaces were much better. It can haul itself along with some vigour on the backroads, but it just hasn’t got the chassis sophistication needed. The steering is too detached, the ride compromised, the body control too marginal.

Despite the promise of performance brake pads, these anchors were hopeless compared to the Mustang GT’s optional Brembos we tried on the same day. There was too much travel before the brakes really bit and not enough under-foot feedback.

Overall, this is a nice engine struggling in a loose-limbed and unfocused big saloon. It can’t decide whether it wants to be one of those early 1990s all-weather executive express cars (remember the Renault Safrane Bi-Turbo?) or a big, long-distance loafer.